The present invention comprises a new and distinct cultivar of Gerbera jamesonii, referred to by the cultivar name `Terwish`.
`Terwish` was originated from a hybridzation program in De Kwakel, The Netherlands in 1995. The female parent was unnamed seedling `94.156` (unpatented) and the male parent was `Venus` (unpatented). The female parent `94.156` differs in flower type (single), color of the disc before flowering (dark i.s.o. yellowish green) and it has a longer stem. It has not been available outside Terra Nigra B.V. The male parent `Venus` is semi-double and a bi-color (pink inner ray florets and creamy white outer ray florets). The new cultivar was selected by me from the progeny of the stated parentage on or about February 1996. The first asexual reproduction of `Terwish` was accomplished when vegetative cuttings were taken on May 1996 in De Kwakel. The new cultivar is presently being propagated by cuttings and tissue culture. Horticultural examination of selected units initiated in 1997 has demonstrated that the combination of characteristics as herein disclosed for `Terwish` are firmly fixed and are retained through successive generations of asexual reproduction.
`Terwish` has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary significantly with variations in environment such as temperature, light intensity and day length. The following observations, measurements and comparisons describe plants grown in De Kwakel, The Netherlands, under greenhouse conditions which closely approximate those generally used in commercial practice. The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be basic characteristics of `Terwish`, which in combination distinguish this Gerbera from its parents and all other varieties of which I am aware:
1. Type: Semi-double. PA0 2. Color of ray floret: Dark red. PA0 3. Color of disc before opening of disc florets: Green/yellow, R.H.S. 151A: innerpart (50%); outerpart: R.H.S. 199A. PA0 4. Color of perianth lobe: Green, R.H.S. 137B. PA0 5. Diameter of flower head: 120 mm.
Of the many commercial cultivars known to me, there is no cultivar similar in comparison to `Terwish`.